Pensioner denied a bone marrow swap

A pensioner spoke yesterday of his frustration at being denied a bone marrow transplant because of the withdrawal of funding.

Alan Francis fought off leukaemia six months ago for the second time in 10 years but now needs a transplant to reduce the probability of the cancer returning.

Doctors scoured the international bone marrow register after the family of the 68-year-old grandfather from Llanelli, west Wales, was found to be incompatible.

A match was found in a 43-year-old man in Australia and plans were drawn up for the bone marrow to be extracted, frozen and flown to Britain for the transplant to go ahead at the beginning of this month.

But the procedure was cancelled when Health Commission Wales (HCW), an agency of the Welsh Assembly, declined to pay for it.

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Mr Francis said: "I don't think it would cost too much for this bone marrow to come over from Australia. It just has to come on the plane and then down the M4 to Cardiff. There is a lot of tension in my house at the moment and I'm upset by it. I don't sleep too well because it is on my mind."

Mr Francis, a Llanelli rugby player of the 1960s, said he had paid taxes since he was 15 and deserved something back.

"I'm in complete remission at the moment and it is tempting not to bother with it," he said. "But my doctors said too many cells were destroyed by chemotherapy this time and I wouldn't get another 10 years without getting leukaemia again so they recommended I have the transplant."

A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly said: "The Minister for Health, Edwina Hart, is aware of this case and has asked for a report."

A spokesman for HCW said: "It is not appropriate for us to comment on any individual case. HCW has increased investment in bone marrow transplantation significantly over recent years, including at University Hospital of Wales.

"Our [policy] is consistent with the recommendations of the European Bone Marrow Transplantation group."